The Valentine Files
by SpiritValentine
Summary: In the depths of a forgotten forest there is a school that specifically teaches and enrolls 'special' students. Teenagers with powers unlike any other; can range from the basic elements to mind control and poison creators. These students all come to this single school to learn basic teachings and also lessons to better control their powers. But one student changes every thing. . .
1. Chapter 1

**Summary**

In the depths of a forgotten forest there is a school that specifically teaches and enrolls 'special' students. Teenagers with powers unlike any other; can range from the basic elements to mind control and poison creators. These students all come to this single school to learn basic teachings and also lessons to better control their powers and to hide them for when they go into the real world. One student, however, didn't need this school to learn these things. But after a horrifying accident she's running from the shadows and monsters that haunt her every day and the one place she found she could run to . . . was the school.

**Enrollment Form**

Name: Spirit Valentine

Sex: Female Race: White DOB: 6/18/97

Ability: Fire Control: 9/10 Class: Senior

Description: 5'4'' female with tan skin and freckles as well as fiery yellow eyes. Fiery orange and yellow hair that reaches her hips in curly waves with a slim but masculine figure. Intricate orange tattoos run down her arms, sides, and legs (some places in the shape of a sun).

**Chapter 1 – Transfer**

It was raining outside and the icy cold droplets of water soaked the teenager's sweatshirt and jeans to the bone. People were hurrying by her as they tried desperately to get off the burning streets, trying not to look at the pavement that was littered with burned corpses and scolding flesh.

As she approached a large group of people she stopped momentarily to listen to the urgent news broadcast being aired on the small televisions.

"_Catastrophe hit the streets of New York earlier today as a floating figure furiously burned the streets to a crisp. Government officials have yet to discover the creature but have temporarily named it the 'Phoenix' for its abilities to control fire and it's feathery features-"_

She had heard enough. Hurriedly, she made her way out of the city and into a desolate forest somewhere nearby. Pulling out a sopping wet map from her pocket, she unraveled it and made her way towards her new and final destination. The forest was very dense and it took her hours to finally come across the large building that was hidden deep in the trees. As the sun began to rise, she hurried into the building and changed her clothes. She then reached into her backpack and pulled out an arrangement of papers that had been neatly kept safe from the rain. After she felt she was ready, she took a deep breath and made her way into the school building.

O O O

Shutting her new locker, the teenager kept her eyes fixed to her schedule as she walked down the hallway. The dimly lit hallways of her sector were somehow uncomforting to her. The lava rock floors beneath her feet would burn the average human's hand clean off on contact and the flame torches on the walls never blew out or dimmed in any way. There were 10 different sectors for each of the abilities; upstairs the fire and water sectors shared a building and the grass and rock sectors shared a building. Downstairs the ghost and psychic sectors shared a building while the electric and dragon sectors share another. In a separate building the dark and poison sectors also share for themselves. There was a cafeteria and a gymnasium circling the giant courtyard in the front of the school along with the main office.

As the girl examined her schedule and school map she managed to swiftly pass through all the students that crossed her path without bumping into anyone. But she accidently stumbled into the sector opposite of hers and bumped into a boy a few inches taller than her. Collapsing to the floor the two mumbled to themselves before looking up at each other.

The boy in front of her was very pale and had very pale blue hair that looked as if it were frost instead of hair. His eyes were the same icy blue color and he wore a scarf with a long sleeve shirt. A scar ran over his left eye.

"I apologize; I wasn't paying attention and accidentally ended up in your sector." The girl said and proceeded to pick up her things. The boy did the same.

"Don't worry its ok. It's pretty easy to get lost in this school." He replied and she picked up his schedule.

**Student Schedule**

**Lucas White 10/10/96 MALE/WHITE Senior**

First – Water physics

Second – Frost creation

Third – English Hon

Fourth – Algebra 2

Fifth – Element study

Sixth – Chemistry

"I have third, fourth, and sixth with you." She stated returning his schedule to him.

"Really? That's cool. I'll be seeing you later then!" He smiled as the bell for class rang. "I have to go, see you in class . . .?"

"Spirit. My name is Spirit." She smiled as he nodded in thanks and ran to his classroom. The girl looked to her own schedule and walked silently to her designated class; volcanic study. When she entered and gave her enrollment form and schedule to the teacher they immediately noticed her control score and of course wanted her to demonstrate.

"I'd really rather not, I'm just like every other person in this class." Spirit protested but her teacher wouldn't have any of it. Instead the woman continued to pester the teen until she finally gave in.

As she sucked in a deep breathe Spirit let out magnificently tamed flames from her hands and played with them gently in the air. Her calm composure and control over her powers led other kids to believe there was more to her then she was letting them see. And they were absolutely right. After the demonstration the class went by quickly and she moved on to her other classes.

When her third period came, she strolled into the English classroom and all eyes fell on her. The abundance of creatures amazed her and all she could do was scan the room with her own yellow eyes. When she came across a familiar face she took the chance to sit right next to him.

"Making it around campus ok?" Lucas asked and she snorted.

"Yeah I'm good, this is amazing." She said still in awe as she continued to look around the classroom. The girl in front of her had paper white skin and her faux hawk haircut was black with the tip white. Her legs seemed to disappear into the darkness under her desk and the light above her was turned off. In front of her was a girl just like her except she was smaller and had long ebony colored hair that cascaded down to the floor. The girl talking to the faux hawk girl looked like she could become a tree at any second. Her long, leaf green hair cascaded down her back and her fingers were also green but faded as it went up her arms. She had branches sticking out of the side of her head and from her chest down was covered in tree bark.

A boy that sat a few seats in front of them had blue – black hair and two spectral ghosts were floating at his side watching him intently. Another girl and boy who were talking to each other caught Spirit's eye. The girl had lilac colored hair and small gems lined her forehead and her arms. Her pencil was moving on its own as a purple hue covered it and it was as if she controlled it with her mind. The boy on the other hand had scaly green hair and red scales formed on certain places of his body. He had yellow horns jutting out from his head along with webbed ears. The couple seemed to talk very nicely until the teacher came in and began her lecture.

The teacher's lecture was the most boring thing Spirit had ever heard in her couple of life times. Suddenly an announcement rang through the halls and classes of the school.

_"All teachers please turn on your projectors and turn to the daily school news." _A woman's voice echoed and the teacher stopped her lecture to turn to the station. Spirit's eyes widened as the picture became clear on the projection screen. It was the same one she had seen on the small televisions in the city and it was still as detailed as ever.

The creature's hair was a flurry of flames and the feathers that covered certain parts of its body blazed a burning red and orange color. It looked angry and the flames in the streets grew hotter and more dangerous as it screamed. Soon after, it seemed to lose consciousness and fell from the sky down to the burning streets below. It was nowhere to be found afterwards.

"Now students," their teacher began. "This is exactly why you're here. This school is meant to teach you to control your abilities so this very incident does not happen." Pointing at the screen she sighed. "This particular female obviously never learned to control her abilities and because of it thousands suffered and even more died."

By now Spirit's mind was racing and she was beginning to sweat. Fears and thoughts ran through her head like race cars speeding around a track. Shakily she raised her hand.

"And what exactly would happen if the government caught the Phoenix . . .?" She asked and all eyes landed on her. The uncomfortable stares made her regret asking.

"They'd probably experiment, keep her in containment, make weapons from her DNA; you know how the government works sweetie." The teacher said in an almost sickening nonchalant manner, as if everyone knew what would happen.

"And what if you guys found her?"

There was silence. The teacher was caught off guard by the sudden question and seemed to think hard and long about how to go on answering.

"I suppose we'd keep her safe. Someone like that," She spoke motioning to the screen. "Who can cause mass amounts of damage within minutes should be contained, yes. But they could also learn to control themselves so they would no longer need containment. That's what we're here for." She finally finished and at that point the bell had rung.

Spirit quickly gathered her things and scurried out the door to her next class. But a familiar face found its way into her vision.

"You seem to know a lot about that girl." Lucas observed and Spirit shrugged.

"Just interested." She replied and he nodded in return. The two had algebra together next and then it would be lunch time, and once again Spirit found her seat next to her friend.

Throughout the period the two learned more about each other and their powers. Lucas was a water elemental but his specialty was ice. Spirit learned that the boy had a sister named Pearl but he preferred that Spirit not meet her. He loved to play video games and he was very competitive with them. Spirit admired the boys' confidence and how nice he was about everything; it was as if he radiated positive energy.

Unfortunately there wasn't much Spirit could say about herself. She had told him about how she traveled very often and she had seen so many things. She was also very much into gaming but for her it was more for fun then competition. She was originally from Massachusetts but ended up traveling to New York as she made her way around the country.

"Wow, it sounds so fun to travel." Lucas breathed as he dreamed about doing it himself. Spirit chuckled as she leaned back in her seat.

"Yeah I guess. But you start to miss having a home after a while." A frown spread over her face as she thought about it. There was never a home she had to run back to, that's why she traveled so much. She was snapped out of her thoughts by someone sitting on her desk. It was a girl from her last period, the one with the faux hawk.

"Sorry I didn't get to meet you last period, I didn't want to interrupt Ms. Won't-Stop-Talking's lecture last period." The girl stuck her hand out and Spirit took it hesitantly. "I'm Kat, I'm a darkness demon." She said with the whitest grin Spirit had ever seen.

"I'm Spirit. Do your teeth give you away in the dark?" She joked and Kat laughed.

"You bet. But when small children and other people see a random toothy grin in the darkness it tends to freak them out so it's a bonus I suppose." She explained and the tree girl from English also strolled over; her hair streamed gracefully behind her as she went. "Kay, this is Spirit!" Kat said and the other girl smiled.

"I was very excited to see a fire elemental in our class." The girl spoke seriously but the smile on her face made it feel warm. "As you can tell, I'm not usually around fire since I burn easily." Spirit smiled.

"Yeah I can understand. I'd be terrified of getting burned but then again I'm terrified of burning out too." Spirit said turning to look at Lucas. His pale skin made it easy to see the blush that spread over his cheeks and all the girls laughed.

"Lucas I'm proud of you!" Kat said as she wrapped her arm around his neck and ruffled his frosty hair. "You're finally getting the ladies!" at this comment he covered his face with his hands and the laughter continued.

"Don't tease the boy too much; you treat him just like you treat your sister." Kay said and Kat let him go.

"Is your sister in our English too?" Spirit asked and Kat nodded. There was no way that shy little girl was related to this very outgoing one. The group continued to talk about the school and how things worked there and soon the bell rang.

"Would you like to sit with us at lunch?" Kat offered and Spirit looked up at Lucas.

"Sure, as long as my _boyfriend _can join us." Spirit replied as she grabbed a hold of Lucas' arm. His eyes widened and Kat and Kay fell to the floor in a fit of amusement. Spirit looked up at him and he looked down at her with a face that said, _WHY_.

"Sorry, I thought it would be funny." She said and he softened up and smiled. "are we still friends or did I ruin it already?" she asked and he laughed.

"Are you kidding?" He said grabbing her hand. "C'mon _girlfriend _lets go get lunch!" He said and it was her turn to blush. The group laughed all the way to the cafeteria and upon entering Spirit couldn't believe her eyes.

Dragon kids flew around carrying trays of food while fire and water elementals flew into the lines of people. Large tree roots lined the floors that the nature beings used to transport themselves without harm and they regrew into their human forms once they reached the lines. Electric beings used the light fixtures in the ceilings to move across the building and the darkness demons appeared from the shadows to collect their lunches.

Spirit's eyes darted around the room at the large variety of creatures that littered the cafeteria. As she stood, a taller fire elemental bumped into her forcefully and she fell into Lucas and Kat. Glaring up at the tall figure in fury she saw a large muscular boy a few heads taller than her. He was tanned and his bright orange and yellow hair made his red eyes pop.

"You're the new girl aren't you?" He asked almost bored with her.

"Yeah I am. What the hell is it to you?" She snarled and he smirked.

"You got a lot of spark don't you? You're going to need that for this afternoon." He challenged and Spirit looked confused. Glancing to her friends they had looks of horror and guilt written on their faces.

"What's he going on about?" She asked and Lucas sighed.

"Every Friday they have arena matches to see who has gotten better or worse in their sectors. Sadly today the Fire sector is having the arena today . . . and you'll probably have to participate." Lucas explained and a certain fire burned in Spirit's heart.

"Then let the games begin."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 – Exposed**

Towards the end of the school day tension rose in the hallways as the fire sector prepared for their arena battle. Spirit sat in her seat as she watched the other creatures talk amongst themselves, most likely about the show that would take place after that period. Earlier the young girl was excited to get into the arena and wreck everyone in her sight, but now she was terrified. What if she really hurt someone? What if someone got _killed_?

Taking a deep breath, Spirit pushed the bad ideas out of her mind and continued to watch the other kids. Lucas had gone to deliver something to another class and sadly Spirit was all alone until she spotted the spectral ghost kid from her English class. Standing up, she made her way over to him and before she could even tap his shoulder his ghosts were furiously hissing at her.

"Don't be rude you two." The boy commanded and the ghosts hesitantly backed off. Spirit gave them a glare and proceeded to sit next to the boy. His dark blue hair fell over his face and when he looked up at her Spirit noticed his eyes had no pupils and his irises were a dead blue color. His skin was kind of pale and there were small scratches on his face. He wore a leather jacket and his backpack on his back with a dark blue band t-shirt underneath and dark blue vans for shoes.

"I noticed you were alone and I figured I'd come say hi." Spirit explained and he gave her a half-hearted smile.

"I would've said hello in English but our teacher isn't a fan of students talking and walking around." He said and Spirit smiled.

"So uh, what are those thingys." She asked as she waved her finger at the ghosts. They seemed hurt by the term 'thingys' and the boy laughed.

"I'm a spirit seeker. Those are spirits." He motioned to the ghosts. "I can talk to dead people and have them as allies in battle."

"Woah, that's so sick!" Spirit beamed and continued to look over at them. "I'm Spirit by the way."

"Mikey. I already knew your name; I've heard it in the hallways all day." He explained and she rolled her eyes at the gossip about her. "Are you participating in the arena even if it's your first day?"

"Well it's a test of control and strength right?" She asked and he nodded. "Then yes I am."

The two continued their conversation until Lucas came back and joined them. The class went by quickly and before she knew it; Spirit, Lucas, Kat, and Kay were all headed to the arena together. Spirit's nerves were shaking violently in her body and as her friends wished her luck and walked to their sections she felt her heart sink at their sudden absence. The arena was a big, round, open space with giant granite rock walls to separate the crowd from the battle. Students sat in bleachers way above the arena and Spirit took a deep breath as the announcer came on the loud speaker.

_"Welcome all students and staff to this Friday's Arena Match. Today the students from the fire sector will be showing of their strength and their control." _A woman's voice echoed through the circular field. _"Also our newest student will be showing what she's capable today. I now introduce everyone to Miss Spirit Valentine."_

With that last note, Spirit was ushered out onto the field and she looked up frantically for any of her friends through the cheering crowds. After a moment she finally found Lucas' face through all the others in his section. Shyly Spirit waved her hand at him and he did the same back to her. She was then snapped out of her thoughts by the opening of a gate on the other side of the field. A girl with short, curly red hair walked out and looked slightly scared. Figuring they would start from the weakest opponents, Spirit decided to go as easy as she could on the poor girl.

The two approached each other slowly and Spirit shook the girls' hand.

"Good luck." Spirit wished to the girl and she returned the smile.

"You too!" The girl grinned and returned to her spot on the other end of the field. Spirit waited patiently for the alarm to sound but before it did she watched as the ground turned to lava and large molten rocks rose from the burning fluid. She stood in the volcanic liquid without harm and as soon as her surroundings finished adapting the alarm sounded, and Spirit flew into a sprint across the terrain to her target. The girl gasped and quickly evolved into a flurry of flames that shot past Spirit like a rocket.

"Her speed is good for running, but is it good in fighting?" Spirit questioned to herself and she followed the girl around the arena until she had her cornered. The younger figure was worn out from all her running and as Spirit approached her the girl screamed.

"NO! PLEASE! I FORFEIT!" She screamed as tears rolled down her face. Spirit's heart began to hurt and she stepped back from the girl to give her space. A buzzer sounded that signaled the end of the match and Spirit helped the girl to her feet.

"I'm sorry." Spirit said and the girl shook her head.

"No, thank you for not hurting me." She replied and then she lifted her shirt and turned to face away from Spirit. Confused, Spirit looked away.

"What are you doing?" She asked and the girl sighed.

"It's fire spirit tradition that if another fire being defeats you in battle, whether fairly or by default, that the winner burns their hand prints into the losers skin." She explained and Spirit looked down at her sadly. She had never really gone with that tradition but there was no choice now.

Softly, Spirit laid her hands on the girl's back and swiftly burned her hand marks into her flesh. The girl hissed and once it was done the two shook hands once more and the other girl exited the arena, leaving Spirit alone in the lava filled field. It wasn't long though, for there was another student in the field a few moments later and Spirit once again readied herself for a fight.

**O O O**

After around fifty more fights Spirit was still standing. The opponents had gotten harder as they went but none were any match, for Spirit was still holding back. The last opponent was coming up next and by now the crowd was in total shock and awe. They were on the edge of their seats with both fear and excitement in their eyes.

Spirit sat patiently on a nearby rock as she watched her next, and last, opponent step onto the field. It was the large teenage boy from the cafeteria that had shoved her. Spirit looked at him momentarily before looking back at Lucas in the crowd. A concerned expression was plastered on his face but Spirit reassured him with a smile as she got to her feet.

"Well, Well, I definitely didn't think you'd make it this far little birdy." The boy called from the other end of the field.

"And I thought my last opponent would be more enticing but I guess beggars can't be choosers." Spirit replied and the boy scoffed. Spirit's blood pumped through her veins as her adrenaline rushed through her. She was trying so desperately to keep herself composed and she couldn't wait for this to be over.

When they went to shake hands he pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear.

"When I win this I'll be sure to mark you as mine with my hand marks." He said and Spirit growled, her eyes glowing a dangerous red color.

"I belong to no one." She hissed, squeezing his hand tighter. "And you will not be winning or putting any mark on me." With that, she turned on her heel and stormed over to her side of the arena. Her fury was burning inside of her and she stood confidently awaiting for her signal to tear him to shreds.

But as the alarm sounded he was gone.

Spirit looked around but kept her cool; she couldn't afford to lose her composure. As she looked around she heard a sizzling sound from behind her and just as she turned his fist connected with her stomach, flinging her across the arena and painfully into the granite wall. Her body convulsed and blood spewed from her mouth in an unnatural manner. Slowly she sank to the ground and into the hot liquid below her.

With a smirk on his face the boy made his way over but by then she was nowhere to be found. Looking behind him he saw nothing but as he turned back she smirked at him.

"Two can play that game." She cooed and with that she roundhouse kicked him and sent him flying like he had done to her. Sinking back into the lava she quickly made her way back to him and she began hurling burning rocks at his moving figure. As he drew closer, Spirit engulfed her arms in large flames and began punching his large figure.

To her dismay, he did not flinch and instead he grabbed her by her throat and began to burn her skin. She struggled to kick him and release herself but he only tightened his grip.

"Who isn't going to win, little birdy?" He asked and as she started to lose consciousness she replied,

"You."

Suddenly, Spirit's body turned into ashes and a pile of the black dust formed beneath his feet. Everyone gasped and the arena went silent. He had killed her.

Or so they thought.

Suddenly the ashes started to form a human figure and piece it back together. The teenage boy backed away slowly and once the figure was complete, everyone went silent. The figure from the news known as the Phoenix stood before them in the arena. Her tanned skin was littered with freckles and tattoos while her hands and feet were as black as ash. Clusters of fiery colored feathers stuck out from the sides of her head and formed over her arms, chest, and waist. Her hair was a hot mass of flames and upon opening her eyes there was no pupil or iris, the whole eye was a reddish-yellow color.

She smirked down at the teenage boy and laughed maniacally at him.

"I told you," She said in an almost animalistic tone "You are the one who will lose today."

With that she grabbed the boy by his hair and flung him into a nearby rock, breaking it and several bones in his body. Floating over to him she grabbed him once again and held him up into the air. As she was about to burn him to death a spark ignited in the back of her head and Spirit's consciousness returned to her. Her irises returned to their normal yellow color although her body didn't return to its natural state.

Spirit lightly set the boy down on the rock and suddenly the alarms blared and teachers filed into the arena along with nurses. Guilt filled Spirit's heart as she watched them carefully pick him up and escort him out of the arena. Then the principal of the school approached Spirit with a stern look on her face and the two stood for a brief moment before the principal spoke.

"You came here knowing you were like this." She stated and Spirit could only nod. "And you fought these students knowing this could happen?" Again all Spirit could do was nod. "You know you almost killed that boy."

"Technically he killed me first madam." Spirit pointed out and the principal raised her brow. "I only resort to this form when I _die _technically speaking. A phoenix reincarnates itself after death with its ashes; therefore he killed me first."

There was silence and the small old woman could only take a deep breath. Suddenly Lucas and Kat burst through the gate and made their way over to Spirit. She was embraced by Kat and when she let go Lucas went up to her and after a moment of hesitation he hugged her tightly. The feeling she never got to experience as a child all poured out and tears began to spill from her eyes.

The principal went from a look of disapproval to a look of sympathy, and she cleared her throat to speak.

"We will help you." She offered and Spirit looked up at the woman with tears still in her eyes. "I can feel you've been through a lot and regardless of what the news says I'm sure you didn't mean for the harm of those people." She said and she nodded off the other teachers that were with her.

"Th-Thank you." Spirit mumbled as she continued to cry in Lucas' arms. By this time all the other students had been cleared out and they had all gone home. Lucas offered to let Spirit stay with him and after a lot of insisting she said yes.

Lucas gave her a t-shirt and some shorts for her to wear that were his and she gratefully accepted them. Once she was changed he escorted her to his room where he said she could sleep while he would sleep on his couch. After saying goodnight she crawled into his bed that smelt of fresh snow and cocoa and before she drifted to sleep, she could feel a slight pressure over her heart as the animalistic voice spoke in the back of her mind.

_They will all burn and you will not stop me. . ._


End file.
